In flight dining

[onlymark]

I'd seen this website some time ago when it didn't have that much on it. But now it's quite comprehensive and I saw it again in a newspaper report.
If you are flying any time, you might want to check out the standard of meal you'll be getting.
Unfortunately there are less entries for First Class. Maybe some of you can update it?

www.airlinemeals.net/index.php

[Don Cuevas]

We count ourselves lucky, when flying Continental Airlines, MEX-EWR to get a meal at all. To our surprise, they are hot lunches and reasonably palatable.
However, alcoholic beverages have increased from $5 to $6, and only credit cards accepted.

[Deleted]

We have to sign a confidentiality agreement in 1st class, Mark.

I will usually eat just about anything on an airplane, but the absolute worst meals ever engrave themselves in my mind. Four of them are immortally awful in my memory.

Paris-Malta on Air Malta
Luang Prabang-Bangkok on Lao Aviation
Paris-New York on EgyptAir
Rome-Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines

[lagatta]

What do people think of ordering "special meals"? Some say that if you order a halal, kosher, vegetarian etc meal it is produced in smaller quantities and often better than the standard one.

I actually know someone who likes ordering the halal meal - then washes it down with the airplane wine...

I am curious about the truly dreadful meals, kerouac. Never thought of Malta - in the middle of the Mediterranean - having bad food, but I guess anything is possible on an airplane.

[Deleted]

Yes, don't think of the national specialities of any airline. Think of how rich or poor it is and what is the cheapest meal it can have catered from the departure airport. In the most extreme cases, it won't even buy that -- it will carry the cheapest meal from its own base and serve it on the way back.

Actually, the only good food I ate in Malta were pizzas. Everything else was horrible (English influence? ).

[fumobici]

Haha, I ordered the Halal meal coming back from Rome a couple of years back and washed it down with decent airline plonk I was also the only one on the flight out of FCO who had their carry on searched on the boarding ramp. I'm now afraid ordering Halal might flag you to security.

Is it true as I was told that the Halal and Kosher meal options are the same?

[bjd]

Not long ago I bought a ticket to Canada for September. The cheapest one I found by far is on Jet Airways -- an Indian airline. I don't know what they serve -- maybe something spicy?

I may pass on the meal though. Last time I went to London,I ate at an Indian restaurant in Soho and was sick for a week afterwards. My fault, never go into a restaurant when the guy is outside encouraging people to go in. But all the other places around were packed and I was hungry.

[lagatta]

fumobici, was it good at least?

[Deleted]

Yes, halal and kosher are the same meal. The Koran says "the food of the people of the Book is authorized onto you." Just don't eat that Christian slop.

[fumobici]

Good? It was vaguely Middle Eastern or Southern Asian lentil and lamb stuff. It was OK, probably no better or worse than the Christian slop. I'm not sure what airline it was- I think the flight was into Cincinnati (pronounced Cheen-cheen-AHT-tee in Italian), so whichever uses that for a hub. Delta perhaps?

[Deleted]

Yes, that's a Skyteam route: DL/AZ/AF probably using a DL plane although AF planes also go there.

[lagatta]

Actually that sounds better than the tasteless whitebread slop - perhaps I'll try that. "Cin-cin-AHT-ti" sounds a bit like "Here's mud in your eye", no?

See the site even has Air Transat, our horrid charter airline. They do feed us, but one time committed the exploit of serving us four different types of starch. The "salad" was macaroni and I think the main was pasta.

Have looked at some of the KLM pics as I've taken that airline quite a few times in recent years. Their food is quite decent actually, and most people seem to agree.

[fumobici]

I took KLM from Seattle to Amsterdam and the food was both pretty plentiful and well above average (nothing brilliant- still airline food) and I was given a Heineken every time the beverage cart came by without being charged. I'd actually recommend them.

[lagatta]

KLM also has another significant advantage for tall people like you and k2 - and even for those of us who aren't so tall - the Dutch are among the tallest populations on earth, so even in economy there is a fair bit of legroom. As with the airline food, we aren't talking "comfort", but far from the utter misery on some other carriers. I'm quite satisfied with their food - not brilliant, but decent even in economy. I was upgraded a couple of times into business but never to first class - that doesn't happen much any more.

And yes, they are very generous with beer (Heineken), wine and after-dinner drinks, though I took a pass on the latter as I didn't want to be dehydrated. They are also very good about making sure we all have enough water.

And no, I don't work for that company...

[imec]

May 4, 2010 15:46:27 GMT bjd said:

Not long ago I bought a ticket to Canada for September. The cheapest one I found by far is on Jet Airways -- an Indian airline. I don't know what they serve -- maybe something spicy?

I may pass on the meal though. Last time I went to London,I ate at an Indian restaurant in Soho and was sick for a week afterwards. My fault, never go into a restaurant when the guy is outside encouraging people to go in. But all the other places around were packed and I was hungry.

One of the few airline meals I absolutely COULD NOT eat was on Indian Airlines - Bombay to Goa. Sadly it was not Indian food but some version of a western sandwich - I opened the little box, looked, sniffed, wretched, closed the box - truly nasty.

[Deleted]

Well you have clearly not seen the cold cheeseburger in a box on Lao Aviation.

[bjd]

One of the few airline meals I absolutely COULD NOT eat was on Indian Airlines

Oh good. I'll pack an apple then. We are allowed to take apples in our carry-on, aren't we?

[Deleted]

Actually Jet Airways has a pretty good reputation, unlike Indian Airlines.

[hwinpp]

I recently took Malaysian airlines, they were ok, nothing special but pretty ok.

How come you pay for alcoholic beverages? Those aren't budget airlines, are they?

My worst meal was on Aeroflot, Moscow- Beijing. We got a rubbery, cold, fried chicken leg for breakfast. I still ate it.

;D

[onlymark]

One time I flew internally in Canada on some small plane for about 45 minutes. There was no flight attendant, just a cool box in between the pilot and copilot with the door open. No PA system either, so just after we took off the pilot turned round and shouted to the few of us "There's drinks and sandwiches in the cool box. If you want anything just come forward and get it."
So I did.

[bixaorellana]

"If you want anything just come forward and get it."

That was civilized! I was on a Continental flight that was horribly late & screwed up. When we finally got off the ground, the steward came down the aisle with the drink cart almost immediately, apologizing for the delay. As he neared my seat I said, "don't we deserve something extra for this?" He replied, "Yeah -- what the hell -- beer and liquor are free!"

I sort of like those little snack packs some airlines give out. Everything in them is packaged, so you can just stash them for later if you prefer.

[onlymark]

I hope to be flying British Airways in a couple of weeks. I say 'hope' because they have announced strike days on exactly the days I fly.
However, according to the BA website they are attempting to continue to fly as many routes as possible, but they do state that there may be reduced staffing levels per flight. This means, they say, that instead of a meal and later a snack on some long haul flights, they will serve a meal but you are welcome to go later to the kitchen area and help yourself to the snacks and sandwiches.

Jolly decent of them I say.

[Deleted]

May 6, 2010 8:29:35 GMT onlyMark said:

The pilot turned round and shouted to the few of us "There's drinks and sandwiches in the cool box. If you want anything just come forward and get it."
So I did.

It is on the long haul flights that Air France has a self service (but supervised) snack and drink bar. It really makes things so much simpler for everybody.

[bazfaz]

May 3, 2010 20:37:29 GMT kerouac2 said:

Yes, don't think of the national specialities of any airline. Think of how rich or poor it is and what is the cheapest meal it can have catered from the departure airport. In the most extreme cases, it won't even buy that -- it will carry the cheapest meal from its own base and serve it on the way back.

Actually, the only good food I ate in Malta were pizzas. Everything else was horrible (English influence? ).

The food is awful in Malta (actually I have only been to Gozo, twice). But I felt that Malta is the only country in the world that the British actually improved the food.

[lagatta]

bazfaz, wonder why that is - I'd have thought an island half-way between Sicily and Tunisia would have had decent Mediterranean food.

Supervised as in not letting people pocket ten or more of those little wine or liquor bottles for the road, k2?

Only Mark, I've been in planes like that in Northern Canada. Also in four and two-seaters. Though too petrified in the latter to want to eat or drink anything, not even water.

[Deleted]

1. I think Malta's problem started with no agriculture -- those islands are just rocks with almost no vegetation.

2. The galley is supervised just to keep people from making a mess. Actually you have to ask for the miniatures, but all of the mixers are at hand.

[onlymark]

I've just flown to Spain and back with Egypt Air, the good thing was I managed to get extra legroom in the emergency exit seats, the bad thing was (though quite usual) that by the time they got to the middle when serving the food they'd run out of a choice. So it was either fish, or fish.
So I had fish.

And as usual also, it was crap.

On Thursday I fly to England just for a few days. As I mentioned previously I was to be flying BA.
But not now. They've cancelled my flights. So I've re-booked on Egypt Air, and yet again will have to suffer the tardiness, lack of entertainment, uneven cabin temperatures, unhelpful attitude, shitty, stinky, messy toilets and most likely poor food again.
They get the job done but it's never enjoyable.

[imec]

The fare on AC270 last Wednesday... I had the ravioli and it wasn't bad. The accompanying red Lirac was more than acceptable.

[onlymark]

You had a menu!?
Jeez.
I'm lucky if I get salmonella.

[Deleted]

That's a menu? It looks like a report. Thank god for Air France.